Mizahar is a complex world with an enormous amount of lore to read and digest as we come into it as new players. Even for those who have been around a while, there is always something new to learn. Today, I'd like for you all to please take a brownie and a seat while we discuss one such topic.
Let's talk about Riverfall.
It is written as, literally, the most beautiful city in all of Mizahar. It sits on the edge of a cliff, basically, overlooking the sea. You can't get a better view than this. The waterfall crashes through the middle of the city. It's amazing. It is filled with an entire race of men who are, by nature, simply gorgeous. Mizahar's most notorious warriors live here, and they devote their lives to concepts such as honor, keeping their oaths, and fighting for noble causes. Riverfall is a city that is so fantastic that Wysar himself lives there.
The lore of the chatroom has given this city a rather nasty name. Why?
It all revolves around women. Everyone seems to think that a woman strolling into Riverfall is a death sentence. They seem to believe that she will be forced to mate with said warriors and produce little blue offspring, which will kill her. While it is true that the risk of dying from an Akalak induced pregnancy is three times higher than her racial norm, agreeing to sire an Akalak child isn't an absolute death sentence (looking at you, creepy Symenestra).
The most important point to discuss here, however, is the issue of consent.
Not every woman who travels through Riverfall, or chooses to live in Riverfall, is forced to reproduce with Akalak men.
Did you get that? Just once more, to be safe.
Not every woman who travels through Riverfall, or chooses to live in Riverfall, is forced to reproduce with Akalak men.
The confusion likely stems from a position that exists in Riverfall called the Nakivak. The Nakivak is a woman who serves as a reproductive host for the Akalak. You can click the link above to read all about how it works, but I would like to elucidate the two ways a woman becomes a Nakivak.
Option 1. She volunteers for it. Quoting the wiki: "These women generally flee to Riverfall to escape abusive past relationships, famine, disease, and overcrowding elsewhere. To the extremely impoverished, Nakivak status has an amazing appeal. They are treated well, have a set social status, and are protected heavily under Riverfall law." Life on Mizahar is tough. It's really tough. A woman might conceivably find herself in a situation where she has no real options. In that case, moving to a city filled with gorgeous warrior types who are bound by their own honor to pamper you and treat you like gold, all for helping them save their dying race? It could be a completely viable option.
Option 2. She is rescued. Akalak patrols frequently scour the area around the city, intercepting slave caravans passing through. Essentially, they were zith food or doomed to a life of suckage anyway, and the Akalaks feel as if she owes them something in return. But, even in this new sort of 'slavery' she is treated exceptionally well. In fact, if the slave seems to have been abused or mistreated, she's often given a season or more to recover and heal before she is prompted to get busy paying her debt to society. Even in this, though, I want you to understand that to treat a woman poorly is rather deplorable. There are strict laws regarding the treatment of a Nakivak, and the honorable warriors uphold that.
The neglected possibility for women in Riverfall, the option three that I would like to reintroduce, is that of freedom.
Riverfall possesses a place called Godiva's Refuge. Women visiting from other locations are welcome here. The first two weeks at Godiva's is free, and after that rent is only one gold miza per week. Meanwhile, Riverfall has, basically, an unemployment office. Ms. Sassy Freepants can go there and find work that she can do to get paid. She can choose to remain there, or move on up and get an apartment of her own. Life cannot be a bad thing for a woman in a place filled with hunky men. Can you imagine? If she needs a picture hung, there are probably a dozen gorgeous guys waiting in line to help her out. She's surrounded by a race of men who are honor bound to keep her safe.
It's like the safest suburb ever, meshed with a paradise location.
Really, I can't understand why we aren't overrun with womenz.
Oh, and I forgot to even mention that we have a spa!
I can understand how this might have been a little confusing, and ignorance breeds ignorance, especially in places like chat. But let this be the antidote, and if you see someone speaking incorrectly about Riverfall, shove their faces into this thread. Or send them to me. Or tell me. I promise to give them candy while I sort their kinks out.
/endrant
-Stranger
Let's talk about Riverfall.
It is written as, literally, the most beautiful city in all of Mizahar. It sits on the edge of a cliff, basically, overlooking the sea. You can't get a better view than this. The waterfall crashes through the middle of the city. It's amazing. It is filled with an entire race of men who are, by nature, simply gorgeous. Mizahar's most notorious warriors live here, and they devote their lives to concepts such as honor, keeping their oaths, and fighting for noble causes. Riverfall is a city that is so fantastic that Wysar himself lives there.
The lore of the chatroom has given this city a rather nasty name. Why?
It all revolves around women. Everyone seems to think that a woman strolling into Riverfall is a death sentence. They seem to believe that she will be forced to mate with said warriors and produce little blue offspring, which will kill her. While it is true that the risk of dying from an Akalak induced pregnancy is three times higher than her racial norm, agreeing to sire an Akalak child isn't an absolute death sentence (looking at you, creepy Symenestra).
The most important point to discuss here, however, is the issue of consent.
Not every woman who travels through Riverfall, or chooses to live in Riverfall, is forced to reproduce with Akalak men.
Did you get that? Just once more, to be safe.
Not every woman who travels through Riverfall, or chooses to live in Riverfall, is forced to reproduce with Akalak men.
The confusion likely stems from a position that exists in Riverfall called the Nakivak. The Nakivak is a woman who serves as a reproductive host for the Akalak. You can click the link above to read all about how it works, but I would like to elucidate the two ways a woman becomes a Nakivak.
Option 1. She volunteers for it. Quoting the wiki: "These women generally flee to Riverfall to escape abusive past relationships, famine, disease, and overcrowding elsewhere. To the extremely impoverished, Nakivak status has an amazing appeal. They are treated well, have a set social status, and are protected heavily under Riverfall law." Life on Mizahar is tough. It's really tough. A woman might conceivably find herself in a situation where she has no real options. In that case, moving to a city filled with gorgeous warrior types who are bound by their own honor to pamper you and treat you like gold, all for helping them save their dying race? It could be a completely viable option.
Option 2. She is rescued. Akalak patrols frequently scour the area around the city, intercepting slave caravans passing through. Essentially, they were zith food or doomed to a life of suckage anyway, and the Akalaks feel as if she owes them something in return. But, even in this new sort of 'slavery' she is treated exceptionally well. In fact, if the slave seems to have been abused or mistreated, she's often given a season or more to recover and heal before she is prompted to get busy paying her debt to society. Even in this, though, I want you to understand that to treat a woman poorly is rather deplorable. There are strict laws regarding the treatment of a Nakivak, and the honorable warriors uphold that.
The neglected possibility for women in Riverfall, the option three that I would like to reintroduce, is that of freedom.
Riverfall possesses a place called Godiva's Refuge. Women visiting from other locations are welcome here. The first two weeks at Godiva's is free, and after that rent is only one gold miza per week. Meanwhile, Riverfall has, basically, an unemployment office. Ms. Sassy Freepants can go there and find work that she can do to get paid. She can choose to remain there, or move on up and get an apartment of her own. Life cannot be a bad thing for a woman in a place filled with hunky men. Can you imagine? If she needs a picture hung, there are probably a dozen gorgeous guys waiting in line to help her out. She's surrounded by a race of men who are honor bound to keep her safe.
It's like the safest suburb ever, meshed with a paradise location.
Really, I can't understand why we aren't overrun with womenz.
Oh, and I forgot to even mention that we have a spa!
I can understand how this might have been a little confusing, and ignorance breeds ignorance, especially in places like chat. But let this be the antidote, and if you see someone speaking incorrectly about Riverfall, shove their faces into this thread. Or send them to me. Or tell me. I promise to give them candy while I sort their kinks out.
/endrant
-Stranger
